obscura day 2017
The Missouri Orchid Farmer Who Ditched His Greenhouse for a Cave
Turns out there are plenty of upsides to growing delicate flowers underground.
All Stories
drugs
The Prison Rehab Where a Meth-Addicted Python Got Clean
Wombats, turtles, and kookaburras, among other creatures, are also welcome.
explosions
Siberia Has Installed Its First 'Exploding Pingo Detector'
The sensor will warn scientists about methane-filled hills on the tundra.
features
During an 1870 Siege, Trapped Parisians Dined on Rat, Cat, and Elephant
In a desperate time, the zoo became a source of food.
amusement parks
A Pigeon's Violent Encounter With a Roller Coaster Rider
There's video.
video games
An Inflatable Mario and a Free-Speech Lawsuit
The owner of a video game store is angry he can no longer display the Nintendo icon.
shipwrecks
Divers in Italy Are Searching for Caligula’s Last, Lost Pleasure Ship
The Roman emperor's prized boats boasted marble, gold, and running water.
bookstores
A Jordan Bookseller's 24-Hour 'Emergency Room for the Mind'
At his bookstore in Amman, Hamzeh AlMaaytah administers life-affirming literature.
bats
Found: A Dead Bat in a Pre-Packaged Salad
Even for gross things found in food, this one is weird.
public
From Fine Art to Fishing Poles, the Most Surprising Things Libraries Are Lending Now
Books are so passé.
april fools day
Deer, Violence, and Videotape
When a deer ran over an aspiring rap artist on April 1, no one believed him. Until he got surveillance footage, that is.
cold war
A Mysterious Albanian Island Will Open to Tourists
It's home to a military base and a lot of bunkers and tunnels.
cars
Cracking the Secret Code of Car Names
How a jumble of numbers and letters came to convey fanciness, while cute names came to mean value.
bicycles
The Adventures of Tony Pizzo, Who Rode Around the U.S. Handcuffed to His Bicycle
It all began with a wager made by Fatty Arbuckle.
jewels
The Anthropocene's Best Gem Is Made Out of Old Car Paint
Sloppy automotive painting created some truly psychedelic jewels.
energy
When Michigan State Used Ruined Mayonnaise for Power
The school dumped 1,250 gallons of the stuff into an anaerobic digester.
surveyors
Utah's First Federal Surveyor Fled the Territory Fearing for His Life
And helped start a war between James Buchanan and Brigham Young.
